


Ashenfall

by NekoMida



Series: Horizon Zero Dawn : Aftermath [2]
Category: Horizon: Zero Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: BAMF Aloy (Horizon: Zero Dawn), F/M, Happy Ending, Oseram locations, Post-Canon, Relationships with trust, Worldbuilding, travelling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:47:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27077488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NekoMida/pseuds/NekoMida
Summary: “I've heard my teacher say, where there are machines, there are bound to be machine worries; where there are machine worries, there are bound to be machine hearts. With a machine heart in your breast, you've spoiled what was pure and simple; and without the pure and simple, the life of the spirit knows no rest.” --Zhuangzi
Relationships: Aloy & Charger, Aloy/Erend (Horizon: Zero Dawn)
Series: Horizon Zero Dawn : Aftermath [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2022004
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14
Collections: Fic In A Box





	Ashenfall

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Stefanyeah](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stefanyeah/gifts).



> I really wanted to explore Aloy's relationship with Erend more, and the very world of Horizon Zero Dawn. I spent a lot of time playing the game--and its DLC--but the Oseram were only briefly mentioned. I would have loved to see more of them, and Aloy's adventures into the Forbidden West really set the tone for this fic. There's another fic to go alongside this one, but it isn't necessary to read it first. Both act as standalones. Enjoy!

Meridian was days away from the last point of her journey, from the place that she had made her temporary home. The forbidden western territories were something to behold, and while Aloy hadn’t managed to find the cause of the red vines that sapped away the life from everything they touched, she was in need of some time to clear her head. And to bring the new plants in, to share the knowledge she’d found so far. Her mount carried them over many a valley and canyon, through jungles that had been unscathed by the human touch for years. Yet in the distance, Aloy could hear the sounds of Meridian blossoming, mechanical and warm.

Talanah had said that Erend set her out to find her in the wilds--and with no communication, it was dangerous to go alone, even with as competent a hunter as the Sunhawk herself was. Whatever the case, it would have had to have been an emergency for him to send for her; something he desperately needed that only Aloy could provide. Thankfully, it wasn’t the bottle any longer--while Erend still enjoyed his brew, it was only rarely now--but she wondered what it could be.

A few clicks of her tongue and prods of her knees against metallic sides sent her and Thud towards the citadel, and she left Thud near one of the village outposts, tied up away from any of the areas that would cause the citizens any trouble. She could see many of the Meridians dressed for a special occasion, and it must have been an unfamiliar holiday that Aloy had returned on, for she didn’t recognize any of the clothing or facial paint that they donned. She stepped away from Thud’s side, and made her way to one of the elevators, pulling the lever that would take her to the topmost tier of the city.

Avad greeted her, his hands open in greeting. “Aloy of the Nora, how good to see you again.” His smile hid a sadness and worry that showed through, and Aloy’s stomach sank. 

“Sun King Avad. The Sunhawk came to find me in the forbidden west on the word of your captain of the guard. Is something wrong?” Her eyes were sharp as his throat bobbed, hands clenching.

“Erend, that fool, went to take his sister’s ashes to Mainspring, without any assistance. I begged him to take some of the guards with him, but he relented. But then he stopped communicating--we haven’t heard anything in weeks. It was I who called you back--you’re the only one I know of that would be able to find him, or beat some sense into him.” 

Running a hand through her hair, Aloy sighed. “Mainspring’s the Oseram capital, right? So I assume he went north, towards the outposts? Maybe they’ve seen something.” She turned to go, ready to start investigating, when Avad interrupted her train of thought.

“They haven't seen him. I’ve already sent word out to the outposts and several guards. He’s disappeared without a trace.” There was a tone in his voice that made Aloy’s stomach sink, and she frowned, though she had to save face for the moment.

“Erend wouldn’t just run off. Something’s happened to him, and I’m going to find out what it is.” As if she didn’t have the weight of the world on her shoulders already--now she had to deal with Erend missing. It sent a pang of pain through Aloy’s chest, though she ignored it. “I’ll find him, Avad. Don’t worry about it--Erend knows how to fight, and how to survive. He’ll know you’re looking for him.”

He just wouldn’t be expecting her to come for him, not when she was supposed to be curing the world of yet another disease from their ancestors. With a nod, Aloy left Avad’s throne room, making sure that she had time to rest and resupply before heading towards the north. Thud was eagerly awaiting her arrival, the lights flickering in its head at her approach, and Aloy’s hand graced the Charger’s head, running over smooth metal horns.

“Another long journey ahead of us, Thud. Hope you’re prepared for it.” She’d thought to buy a blanket this time, to keep the metal from chafing her legs as badly, and Aloy situated herself upon it, tying it down with leather straps. She’d seen a few more holograms left by the Old Ones that depicted this--they called it a saddle, and it was used on something called a horse. There weren’t any horses in this world, though, so it was just going to have to work on Thud, who was as close to a horse as Aloy was going to get.

Mainspring was almost a week’s travel from Meridian, and it traveled towards the cold parts of the world, where snow blew and where the Banuk roamed forth. The territory was rough, heavily forested in some parts, while others resembled the rolling hills and meadows of Mother’s Embrace, the grass soft beneath Thud’s hooves and Aloy’s boots. Water became clearer, sharper in taste the further north they went, though it stopped at a certain point, the distant smell of acrid wood smoke hanging in the air. An Oseram settlement, or perhaps an outpost, churning smoke into the sky while the sounds of metalworking echoed among the mountaintops.

The Focus on her head showed nothing, strangely; no trace of Erend whatsoever despite her attempting to program him into it ages ago. There was no blood, no sign of a struggle, and she could only wonder just what had happened. Erend wouldn’t stray from taking his sister back to Mainspring; it was something he had talked about when she’d gone to the forbidden lands of the west. But now, Aloy had her doubts, wondering if she was going to find Erend in a single piece.

Thud stomped along the ashen grasses, though the dirt was hard-packed from carts being pulled along the makeshift roads, and Aloy found herself staring into the towering settlement, all stone and wood around the area milled away from the hillside that it laid upon. Impressive, really, though she felt suspicious eyes on her.

“Oi, Nora! What brings you this far north? There’s no hunting to be done up here.” The tone was sharp, distrustful, and arrogant, though it wasn’t anything that she wasn’t used to already. “Go back to your tribe.”

“I’m here looking for a friend.”

“An Oseram, friend of a Nora girl?” The guard speaking to her laughed, nearly insultingly. “And who might your friend be, girl?”

“Erend Vanguardsman.” Aloy let her eyes grow hard, already tired of being belittled because of her tribe. “My name is Aloy of the Nora, and I seek to find him.”

Her name seemed to inspire respect, for the guard hastily bowed, opening his arm towards the settlement. “Erend Vanguardsman is not here, but our elder may know where he went. Forgive me for my rudeness.”

Aloy paused, and slid from her temporary saddle, legs machine from the long hours of riding on Thud’s back, before she nodded back. “Thanks.” A moment later, she found herself in the middle of a bustling forge town, an almost overwhelming undertaking of the senses happening as she made her way to the very middle tower, where the elder would be. Everything she touched seemed to leave a smear of blackened dust on her clothing and hands, something that Aloy had forgotten about.

Erend’s hands didn’t always leave the smear of blackened dust, but he sure smelled like the man in front of her--there was the definite scent of Scrappersap on the elder’s breath, even as he pulled her to the platform, calloused hand rough against her own palm.

“So you’re Aloy of the Nora. Heard a lot about you, though I’m not sure what’s man or what’s myth. You seem normal enough to me.” This man was at least wise enough to not mention her perceived shortcomings, though he was certainly sizing her up. “What can I do for you? It’s unlike a Nora to be wandering outside of their territory, much less all the way up here into Oseram lands.”

“I’m looking for my friend, Erend. He was supposed to take his sister’s remains to Mainspring and return to Meridian, but he hasn’t returned and there are people worried for him.” Aloy’s eyes closed, a hand tussling the braids upon her head. “This is the first stop on the way to Mainspring, so I thought if he’d been anywhere, it would be a good place to start.”

“Wise choice. I believe the man you’re looking for did pass through here, but it’s been several days. He didn’t seem troubled, although there are a few things that seemed out of the ordinary--namely his armor. He was down to a lot of the cloth underclothes we wear, and surely you understand that it’s unusual for an Oseram to be without their gear.” The elder crossed his arms behind his back, looking out over the expansive territory that laid beyond the outpost settlement. “If anything, I’d say look a day’s journey to the north, where the tar roads lead. There’s another outpost there that might have seen him.”

Aloy frowned, thinking of how unusual it was for Erend to be alone, and without any gear at all. He never took it off unless he was sleeping, and even then it was a rarity that at least one part of his armor wasn’t still on him. All Oseram she knew of kept their armor on; it was extremely personal to them and a true labor of love. It wouldn’t have been left behind. “Thank you, elder. I’ll resupply and then be on my way. Are there any machines I should be aware of?”

“No machines other than what you’re used to, though you might find less of them. And there’s a new concern from the north; they say there is a red vine sweeping through some of the villages to the far north, near the coldest parts of the Claim. Some Banuk may be able to give you more insight, they have been traveling closer to the Claim than usual. Look for them on your travels.” With a nod, the elder sent her off, taking a drink from the wooden mug of Scrappersap as he went back to the plans laid out on his table.

A sinking feeling rose in Aloy’s stomach as she bought her supplies, thinking of where Erend might be. He could have been captured by a more loyalist Oseram tribe, or perhaps Sylens had sent someone after him; both were possibilities but it still made little sense for him to travel without all of his armor, unless he was trying to end his own life. That didn’t seem likely either, and Aloy left the settlement with more questions than answers, watching the smoke paint the skies into the darkest sunset she’d ever seen.

Hours of riding north made her legs stiff, and Aloy longed to stretch out under the stars, with a nice piece of roasted rabbit or squirrel to tear into while alone with her thoughts. Instead, the acrid smell of smoke lingered in the air, and her clothing felt restrictive, dirty from the constant ash and smoke she’d traveled through. The elder had been right; there were few machines and animals but enough for her to have a small meal and to restock the medicinal plants in her pouches. Aloy was thankful for that much, although she’d have to ration her food supplies until she made it to the next settlement or until she found more meat to prepare. 

Thud was grazing quietly nearby, keeping an eye on a herd of machines in the distance. A smaller herd, if the number of lights indicated anything; Aloy could sleep easily without being disturbed for the night. A plan she fully intended to enact, except she could hear something off in the distance, a dull roar that sounded like something large. That could have been what had stopped Erend, if he had stopped--a large machine would be enough to pin someone down with limited armor for several days unless they managed to escape. Her stomach turned into nauseous flips again, and Aloy tucked her bedroll beneath her head, wishing that sleep would come easily.

But it never did, ever since Rost had died. He was the only person who had that kind of connection with her that made Aloy feel completely safe, and that would never have her self-doubting her own abilities. Now that Erend was missing as well, Aloy found herself with unanswered questions in regards to the relationship they’d built. He’d wanted her to come back with him, had tried from the very beginning to take her out for a drink. And yet he’d still backed away from her, let her have the space that was so desperately needed.

Funny, how her relationships always seemed to coincide with the world faltering in some way.

Sleep didn’t come until late in the night, with Thud tucked in next to her protectively, and Aloy woke with a headache, bleary-eyed at the morning light. Whatever had been making noise the previous night was still in the distance--the steps were undeniable as they shook the ground beneath them, sending shockwaves out towards Aloy’s position. Maybe if she did a hunt it would take her mind off of the situation with Erend, and she could clear her head. Deciding against the voice in her head that warned her against the hunt, Aloy mounted Thud, easing the machine towards the cliffs in the distance, snow-capped mountains devoid of the fall of ash that seemed to lay on everything else.

Upon closer approach, through the long red grass that speckled the cliffs, Aloy could spot tracks leading upwards. Spackles of blood, days old, and the tell-tale signs of a battle scattered about as she dismounted, sliding to a crouching position. “Stay here, Thud. I’ll call for you.” Mere moments passed as the grasses tickled her skin, disguising Aloy from view of anything that might have been hostile while she moved for a closer look. The Focus couldn’t lie to her, thrumming beneath her fingertips as she recognized the tracks left behind--they were Erend’s boots, clear as day. He’d made it easy to track him, just for her, embedding a gear in each of the soles of his boots to leave a unique print behind.

She hated that it all made sense now, why he’d do it at all; it was so if he was ever in trouble she could find him. He wouldn’t disappear like Ersa, and there would be help in time.

Cursing, Aloy bit the inside of her cheek just as the ground started to shake again, revealing the cause of the previous night’s tremors--a Thunderjaw, sparking in some places and furious. One of the disc launchers at its side was hanging precariously, and that meant a fight had taken place not that long ago. Slowly, Aloy prepared her bow, notching an arrow as she moved backward, giving the machine space so she could strategize. She had to get around it, and taking it down would mean supplies and trading resources--things that she’d need if Erend was hurt and needed medicine.

But before she could act, there was a feral cry from behind the Thunderjaw, a hammer glinting in the sunlight as it launched into the machine’s legs wildly. The dull roar that the machine gave out hurt her ears, and Aloy winced, teeth grinding together as the whine of the Thunderjaw’s lasers began. It wouldn’t be long before the radar started to sweep the area, and she needed to take action now, before it found her.

Fumbling against her back, Aloy shifted so that her bow was on the ground and her tripcaster was in hand, running along the grass to fire three sets of tripwires ready to explode should the Thunderjaw charge. It was enough distraction that she could lure the other attacking party in, maybe help them out with their vendetta against the machine. The person swinging the hammer yelled again, knocking the object into the Thunderjaw’s face, and was swiftly met with a tail swipe that threw them into the grasses nearby with a cloud of dust.

She had to hurry, lure the Thunderjaw away from the prone body laying there, with their hammer still stuck to the machine’s face. It was impressive, really, but also really, really stupid to go up to something like a Thunderjaw with just a melee weapon. She’d be lecturing whoever was laying in the grass later if they weren’t dead, but first things first--get the machine out of the way and then help the idiot, if they were still alive.

Within seconds the radar had spotted her, and Aloy ran through the grasses, no longer hidden from view, and without the element of surprise on her side. Her teeth ground together as she ran and grabbed her bow, rolling along the ground as a laser clipped at her arm, narrowly missing the whole of her body thanks to her momentum. It stung as she drew back the bowstring, aiming for the disc launcher on the right side of the Thunderjaw’s body, already precariously hanging from a few wires. A breath left her body and she let the arrow fly, dodging another laser blast as a crash resounded behind the Thunderjaw. She’d knocked the disc launcher loose, and Aloy held tight to her bow as she took to a dead run towards the fallen weapon.

Her feet betrayed her, tripping over the rocks that littered the uneven landscape, and Aloy only had a moment to hoist the heavy weapon into her arms before firing it, turning the Thunderjaw away as parts shattered and rained down from its body. It only made the machine angrier, despite the substantial damage it had taken, and it charged at her, throwing both the disc launcher and Aloy back into the cliffside. Aloy took a gasping breath, taking a moment to settle the stars in her vision before moving again, making herself a less viable target as the Thunderjaw crashed into the spot she’d just been a few moments ago, rocks and dust spraying her vision as it roared.

Another arrow was in her hand, roving eyes sizing up the most vulnerable target on the machine before taking another arrow and notching it alongside the first, aiming for the exposed heart of the machine. If she got lucky, she’d hit it and the inner workings would explode, shorting out the machine and bringing their encounter to an end. If not, then there was a long fight ahead of her, and she’d have to wait for another opening. The feathers on her arrows slipped against her cheek as she let the arrows fly, grimacing as they managed to land inside of the machine--but not the heart.

Sudden damage to its most vulnerable spot enraged the Thunderjaw, and Aloy barely had time to move out of the path as it charged at her, slamming into the walls of the cliff, before it rebounded and charged her again. If it were any living thing, she might have thought it was fighting for its life, desperate to take her with it. But a Thunderjaw was no living thing, no matter how desperate it fought her or how natural its course of action might have seemed. A shout startled her, and she found the person who had put their hammer into the Thunderjaw’s face was up and moving--albeit slowly, roughly. 

“Stay put! Don’t draw any attention to yourself!” Even a capable fighter would have trouble with a Thunderjaw, let alone an injured person and a single fighter. Either they didn’t hear her, or the Thunderjaw had knocked them about more than Aloy had realized--this person had picked up one of the rocks nearby, hefting it to shoulder height before launching it shakily into the heart of the Thunderjaw. It was just enough damage to make the machine pause, as if in excruciating pain, before it started again.

“Take the damn shot!” A voice called out to her, and she realized the machine had left its weak side open, enough that she could fire another arrow or two into the heart without issue. Notching the arrows to her bow, Aloy took aim, waiting until the last possible second as the Thunderjaw left itself open, the molten red-hot heart glowing as her arrows let loose from her fingers. Finding their mark, the heart of the mechanical beast shattered, sending a rain of white sparks down upon the injured person as the Thunderjaw’s corpse fell to the ground with a deafening crash. Aloy was almost knocked off her feet, but steadied herself before standing.

Heat poured off of the mechanical corpse as she passed by it, nearly singeing her fingers on the remaining metal as she pried some of it free, taking care to look over at the injured person--who was none other than Erend. He was worse for wear, dried blood on the yellow cowl and spattered across his shirt. Fresh red seemed to bloom from his side, and he yanked the hammer from the Thunderjaw’s head, sending a fresh shower of sparks from within. He turned to her, and Aloy could see the fondness reflected in his eyes, as well as the pain from his injuries.

“I…” There was something on the tip of his tongue, something lingering on the tip of her own tongue, but Erend sagged against the hammer, using it to prop himself up. “Let’s not talk about what just happened, yeah?”

Aloy frowned, her hand shooting out to hold Erend’s side up. “We will talk about it, just not right now. Right now, we need to get out of here before the Glinthawks show up. And we need to take care of that wound.” She nodded towards the hill where Thud was hidden, thankful that the Charger hadn’t taken the opportunity to fight the Thunderjaw. She hated to think of having to repair Thud again, memories already surfacing with the machine’s previous battle scars. “Come on. We need to get to the next outpost by nightfall, and you’re going to have to ride on Thud.”

Erend stared at her for a moment, chuckling. “I forgot that you gave it a name. Hope it doesn’t mind me tagging along; the last time I remember ‘Thud’ wasn’t so fond of me.”

“He...Thud, has improved with time and some training. Should be used to you by now, Erend.” Aloy felt Erend wince under her, his gloved hand coming up to grace his side. “What happened to your armor?”

“Sawtooth caught me. Had to get out of it or I would have been lunch.” He’d previously bragged about the armor being able to withstand a Sawtooth’s jaws; now Aloy saw that it was completely true. The injury to his side was recent enough that she could count it being a few hours old, but the others that stained his neck…

“Is that why you left a blood trail all the way down the canyon? Another encounter? You’re supposed to be careful, Erend Vanguardsman.” Erend gave her a lopsided grin as she chided him, a pained breath leaving his chest as they approached the grazing machine, who raised its head to view the two humans. Slight shifts in the lights let Aloy know that Thud was thinking, before its head dropped back down to graze, the glowing canisters of blaze changing color slightly.

“Yeah. Couple of new machines had it in for me. Made me drop Ersa’s urn, but I recovered it. Not without taking a few hits, though. And then the Thunderjaw decided it wanted part of the action.”

“You should have run, Erend.” Aloy’s voice was velvet steel in her mouth, frowning as his shoulders dropped in defeat. “Tell me about the new machines.” Her hand steadied the temporary saddle on Thud’s back, and Erend climbed on, telling her of his own adventure while she walked next to him, listening intently. If the machines he described were like the ones that she’d been seeing for the past few weeks, then that would mean the problem with the red vines was only the beginning.

It was nightfall before they reached the outpost, blackened smoke blending into the skyline as sparks shimmered like stars. The Oseram never stopped, not even for a night’s sleep--there was too much work to do, too many ruins to explore, too many people to support. In a way, Aloy thought of it as homey, a sort of kindred spirit running through the technologically gifted tribe. Erend seemed to notice her fascination, and he elaborated.

“They’re making ingots from machine parts. Purifying the metal from any impurities, and then it’ll be sold or traded.” He nodded towards a shop in the back, noting the hammers pounding into the leather strips that glinted in the firelight. “Armor, probably for someone close. Or for sale, probably, since this outpost is getting closer to Mainspring.”

“What’s it like there? You’ve mentioned it a couple of times.” Anything to keep Erend distracted for the moment, to keep the pain he felt at bay for just a moment longer until they could secure a room for the evening.

“I think you’d love it. Mainspring explores the ruins, and it’s our capital city--none of this outpost business. Forges line the streets, and the smell of wood and coal permeate the air. It’s not overpowering, but it can leave black ash in certain places. They reroute the smoke through pipes that run along the walls--Mainspring is built from the ruins of the Old Ones. What we couldn’t replicate in terms of infrastructure, we built ourselves. Generations of smiths, brewers, metalworkers; they all make Mainspring what it is.” Erend spoke of the city fondly, though Aloy noticed the bitter tone in his voice.

“But? There’s something you’re not telling me.” Aloy prodded at him, trading out machine parts for metal shards while she sat him on one of the benches nearby. It should have been enough to cover a room, but Aloy would also need to resupply after taking care of Erend’s wounds and getting him cleaned up.

“But they’re traditional. Judgemental. Part of the reason that Ersa and I ventured south to Meridian. We needed a new perspective.” He refused to elaborate further, and she nodded, pointing towards one of the outside buildings that dotted the back of the town. 

“The merchants said we could get use of one of those for the night. There’s a bed and access to hot water, so we can clean you up.” Aloy wouldn’t deny that she wanted a bath too, the long hours of travel making her feel less than human for the moment. “And they’ll leave Thud alone for the evening since he’s docile.” She’d made sure to warn the townspeople not to mess with the machine though, in case Thud decided that it was a dangerous place to be.

Her arm wound under Erend’s after dropping the shards into the merchant’s purse, internally wishing that things in the north weren’t so expensive; the amount paid for their room would have supplied her for a month under normal circumstances. Together, she helped him trudge to their lodgings, lighting one of the lamps provided for a better look at what she had to work with. Simple enough--a bed with clean blankets, a few odd pieces of furniture cobbled together from metal and wooden poles, and a metal basin for washing one’s face in. There were some clean pieces of cloth to dry off with, although upon further inspection Aloy found they were made of scratchy goat’s wool.

Gesturing to Erend, Aloy nodded towards the path that led to the steaming outside bath house. “I’m going with you, to help clean that wound. I need to see how bad it is before I patch you up.” He chuckled, though his cheeks were ruddy, and Aloy realized her mistake, laughing alongside Erend.

“It’s bad, alright. Bad enough that I don’t want a pretty Nora warmaid to see me naked.” Erend turned the joke on her, grinning as he shifted out of his shirt, a hiss leaving his lips as the cloth tugged at old wounds, daring to reopen them.

Aloy paused, looking over the bulky muscle that came with most Oseram she’d seen; it had to be a result of working with so much metal on their bodies, or living in the far north. Either way, it was attractive, though different in the way that a lean Nora body would be. Her thoughts stopped, and Erend stared at her, his smile falling as he dropped his gloves to the bed.

“Hey, Aloy? You there?” Rough fingers dared to graze against her cheek, warmth displayed in Erend’s eyes as he looked over her worriedly. “Don’t go spacing out on my account.” She snapped out of it, laying a hand on his wrist gently.

“I’m fine. Let’s just get you in the bath, tough guy.” She ushered him forth, turning when they approached to give him a bit of privacy, listening for him to tell her to turn around. She heard him shuffling, a slight sound of pain, and the sound of splashing water as Erend hissed. She turned around, worry creasing her brow, and Aloy found him staring back at her, sunk into the water up to his shoulders.

“I’m fine. Just stings.” A quiet reassurance, though Aloy thought it was a wound to his pride as well as his body; Erend had always presented himself as capable and tried to be such. “Where’s the soap?”

“Here.” Aloy handed the cake of soap to him, the unfamiliar weight unsettling. She could remember having to render off fat from the various game animals for days until Rost thought it was pure enough, and the smell never quite left the soap they’d make. She wrinkled her nose, but didn’t say anything. Instead, she looked up towards the sky, where snow was beginning to sprinkle alongside the ash.

“Thanks.” Silence fell between them, and Erend’s gaze shifted towards Aloy. “I can sleep on the floor tonight. The further north we go, the more men rule over any sort of decisions that get made. Once you’re done patching me up, you should head back out west to the forbidden lands, finish what you started there.”

“Not a chance. It’ll take more than a few antiquated ideas to make me change my course.”

Erend sighed, and ran a hand through his short hair, dampening the strands with droplets of water. “That’s not what I meant. People will get entirely the wrong idea about us. I know you’re independent and stubborn as a Scrapper on a fresh machine, but women here are seen as objects. I can’t possess you any more than I can a turkey on the run or knowing when the snow falls. And I think I know better than anyone that the Nora aren’t savages.”

“You don’t have to apologize.” She understood now, the words from her other Oseram acquaintances forming in her mind once more. Women were property, and viewed as something that was owned rather than their own person. And being a Nora was considered to be something wild, uncultured, beneath the Oseram’s way of life. “But I didn’t come looking for you to prove myself to anyone. I came because of you...and because Avad got worried.”

“He would find a way to call you up out of nowhere, wouldn’t he?” A slightly jealous tone took Erend’s voice, before it switched to something more playful. “Although I can still say that I managed to get a minute of your time.”

“Or two.” Aloy smiled, before she nodded at his side, where the water had turned pinkish from the blood. “Now, stand up a bit so I can take a look at those. You’re not going to Mainspring looking like a mess, especially not to bury your sister’s ashes.”

This sent Erend into a tumble of laughter, though he shook his head at the thought. “We’re scattering them at her favorite place, close to where our parents are scattered. They never liked the idea of us being Freebooters but they accepted it. It’s just a shame that they won’t be there now.” Silence drifted back and forth between the two of them, and Erend stood tall in the water, raised up so that the waterline fell above his hips. “I think she would have liked you. Ersa, I mean. Our mother probably would have too, considering you have the same spirit Ersa did.” 

“I wish I could have met them.” Aloy’s fingers prodded at Erend’s chest and ribs, skimming over the skin until she found the source of the bleeding--a heavily bruised gash, deep enough for stitches but not deep enough to kill if taken care of quick enough. “Looks like you’ll live, once I stitch you up and clean out that gash. Anything else that ails you?”

Gently, Erend’s hand took hers and brought it up to his chest, placing it over his heart. “I don’t think it’s something you’ll be able to fix. A broken heart has to heal on its own, and heartache on top of that would only make it worse, I’m afraid.”

“That might be tough to fix.” Aloy drew her hand back, thinking of how she’d felt after Rost’s death. “But it does heal, with time. And it helps to talk to them. I talk to Rost all the time. He was...he raised me. I don’t have a mother.” 

“What a pair we are.” Erend muttered, sinking back down slightly. “But I think between the two of us, we balance it out just fine. I think that Rost did a fine job raising you, even if I will never meet him.” He rubbed the back of his neck slightly, embarrassment crossing his features, before he turned away from Aloy. “Don’t mind what I just said. It’s customary to ask parents permission to court their children.”

“Oh?” Aloy felt her heart ache against her chest, raising an eyebrow. She wasn’t blind to Erend’s affections--he’d flirted with her since they’d met, and while he hadn’t confessed them in full, she did understand how he felt. “The mothers of our tribe decide our matches for us. So...I guess we’re both in a pretty precarious situation.” She chuckled a bit awkwardly, fingering one of the locks of hair that fell to her shoulders. 

He turned to stare at her, licking his lips slightly. “I guess it does.” There was enough understanding between the two of them that she didn’t have to speak her feelings for Erend; just her words alone would have tipped him off. And yet, she wanted to talk with him more about it, to learn everything he had wanted to share. “Looks like we’ll be getting a table and a few bottles of Scrappersap when we reach Mainspring, then.”

“Sounds good. You’re buying though.” Aloy’s lips perked up, a grin spreading to her features as a weight she hadn’t noticed lifted from her shoulders. She’d wanted to save the world, and then have a life of her own, but there never seemed to be any time for that. “I’ve got to go after I get you to Mainspring, but I’ll come back. I want to sit down with you like this again.”

“You’ve got me at a bit of a disadvantage here, Aloy.” He was right; she had him naked under her scrutinizing eye and Erend, while proud, was also bashful when it came to her. “Although I’ll admit that it isn’t as bad as I thought it’d be, even if it’s a bit soon.”

She laughed, holding the rough woolen blanket out for him to dry off with. “You’ll get to call it even someday, I think. After I save the world again.” Aloy turned around again so Erend could step out of the bathing pool, and she nodded towards their sleeping quarters. “You go ahead and get some pants on. I’ll be in to patch you up in a minute.”

Erend huffed, careful not to aggravate the gash in his side any more than necessary, and she heard the steps pass by her, the dripping of water reminding her of the icicles of Mother’s Embrace in the winter months. Taking one of the wooden bowls set near the bath, Aloy scooped out the steaming water, and made her way to the hut, finding Erend sitting on one of the short stools provided, arm raised for ease of access. “Found something to numb the pain for the moment.” He shook a bottle at her, and her nose reeled from the scent of alcohol, though she was glad to have it.

Cleanliness was something that she’d picked up on from Rost and from Elisabet’s memoirs, the fragments of her memories trapped within the Focus. “Give me that.” She uncorked the heavy glass bottle, a rarity in itself, and poured some of the pungent liquid into the hot water, using her hand to splash a bit of the mixture on the gash. Erend gritted his teeth, carefully taking the bottle away from her in a forceful, gentle grip, and setting it aside.

“Talk me through it. I hate having to deal with stitches.” A surprising turn of thought, though Aloy started talking as she dipped her bone needles into the hot water, drawing a thin line of sinew she would otherwise use to repair clothing. “Never liked being hurt, but this is the worst part of it.”

Aloy thought about what she could tell him, of the vivid scenery and the new machines that spread over the expanse she’d seen. “The forbidden territories are so much more than I could have ever expected. There’s water as far as the eye can see, and ruins of the Old Ones that lie beneath the surface, with more hidden fragments than I can describe. Maybe I’ll be able to show you one later, if I tinker with the Focus.” Her hands were gentle, knotting the sinew as she slid the needle into his skin, careful not to pull tightly. “And the machines, Erend, you wouldn’t believe. There are huge machines, bigger than Behemoths, and machines that stay under the water. And more that patrol the skies.”

He hissed as she pulled a little too tightly, and she eased up, letting him relax. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine. Just stings. You’ve seen a lot, huh? Anything you’d want to show me if I went with you?” Erend was teasing her, fishing for some sort of line to ease into her comfort zone.

“The tribes. They’re more in tune with technology--I’ve seen some of them travel on machines as entire tribes. They all understand how to reprogram the machines like I do, but some of them seem corrupted...like HADES is responsible.” She shuddered, keeping her hand steady while tying off the stitches. “But mostly? The variety of food sources. There are more fish than I could hope to bring back, and they’re like a swimming rainbow. More tiny fowl, in and out of the water, and something that resembles the goats here, but it’s not quite the same.” Aloy brought her knife up to cut the sinew with a quick slide of the blade, and she relaxed. “There you go. All done.”

Erend was quiet, mulling over her words, and she placed a hand on his shoulder. “But first, I need to get rid of the plant that’s killing everything. I heard from some of the lower Oseram outposts that it’s here too, further north. Not even the cold can kill it, they said. Or fire.”

“Sounds serious. I’ll make sure to only take up a couple minutes of your time, but you’d better come back in one piece.” He was serious, before jabbing his thumb backwards towards the heated bathing pool. “Your turn. Not that machine oil and ash is a bad look on you, but I think you’d feel more like yourself if you were clean. At least you could sleep easier before we make the journey to Mainspring.”

Aloy couldn’t object, and took the remaining woolen blanket to dry off with, hoping that the blankets on the bed weren’t as scratchy as it was, and she waited until she was out of sight before stripping and sinking down into the blissfully hot waters. It was such a shock, considering that she could only remember hot water in small snippets, usually bathing with cold water from the rivers and creeks or waiting a long time as the extra cooking pot was used to boil water. Footsteps sounded behind her, and she froze, hearing Erend call out to her.

“Want me to wash your hair? I promise I won’t pull the stitches.” 

“...sure.” Aloy sank deeper into the water, up to her shoulders, and she heard Erend pick up the other wooden bowl, holding out to her. When was the last time that she had taken care of herself, or let someone else take care of her? She’d always had to be self-reliant, even with Rost; another’s caring touch was foreign to her.

Erend was silent as he poured the water over her hair, careful of the beads and braids that remained as his fingers clumsily worked the soap into Aloy’s fiery locks. Aloy felt relaxed, sinking into the side of the pool as Erend worked the soap into every strand, taking his time to be gentle and thorough. Maybe, just maybe, after the second end of the world was stopped, she’d be able to do this again. Be normal, not just another tool for anyone’s benefit; not a goddess’ blessed child, just Aloy.

She could have a normal life, whatever that was--in fact, she could make her own life, since nothing about her circumstances was normal to begin with. And this trip to Mainspring seemed to be more enlightening than she’d hoped, opening herself up to the option that there was more to the world than being part of a tribe, being accepted by the very people who had shunned her, or even as a savior of the world. The only person that mattered to her was her own self, but she could open up her heart to share her struggles.

It seemed as if Erend had been right all along, ever since they’d first met. She did have a new life in Meridian, and it was one she looked forward to returning to. Especially since it meant returning to the captain of the guard, someone who saw her as who she really was. Mainspring would only be the beginning.


End file.
